Markham man charged for allegedly speeding 136 km/h over limit on Canada Day

YORK REGIONAL POLICE

The driver of a Bentley allegedly speeding more than 130 km/h over the limit on Canada Day is facing numerous charges.

Around 2 a.m. on July 1, a police officer was stopped at a red light behind a two-door Bentley on Alden Rd. in Markham. When the light turned green, the Bentley allegedly sped off at 186 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, according to York Regional Police.

The officer pursued the Bentley, which allegedly crossed over the centre line of the road and into oncoming lanes as it navigated a bend. The officer was finally able to catch up with the Bentley when it stopped at another red light.

Aravinthan Ratnasingam, 32, of Markham, faces charges of dangerous driving and failing to provide a breath sample. His licence has been suspended for 90 days and the Bentley was impounded for seven days.

Const. Andy Pattenden says stunt driving over the Canada Day long weekend was a concern for police, but the growing number of arrested drunk drivers also posed a challenge.

This year, 25 people were arrested for impaired driving during the Canada Day long weekend. This is almost triple the number for the same time period in 2012, and 10 more people than were arrested in 2013, says Pattenden.

"The more alarming thing for us is impaired drivers," he said, adding that while York Region's population has increased in the last few years, so have drinking and driving prevention efforts.